Passion for Community Building and Music Education
Our Story
We began as a small grassroots operation offering group classes in Tustin. Dr. Karim would load his SUV with a PA system, drums, and whatever else was needed, and teach weekly improvisation classes to anyone eager to learn. In 2019, we formally became SoCal Jazz Academy LLC and launched our first website at socaljazz.com.
The program grew quickly, fueled by a real community need for a neighborhood hub dedicated to jazz education at the street level.
First Location
Our first long-term home was a 400 sq. ft. room on Centre Drive in Lake Forest—a humble space we could only access after 5pm. Despite its limitations, it became the launching pad for many talented young musicians and helped us build a strong, trusted presence in the community. As our lease neared its end and our community continued to grow, we naturally began searching for the next chapter in our journey.
Music Around
Around that time, the Music Around space became available for both lease and purchase. After many conversations and a shared vision, we reached an agreement and, in January 2025, merged the two programs—finding our new home at Dana Plaza in Lake Forest and expanding our mission under the new umbrella of musicaround.com. SoCal Jazz Academy would continue to offer its group class curriculum, while Music Around would serve as the welcoming entry point for students of all ages—providing private lessons, early childhood programs, and a natural pathway into the Academy’s deeper contemporary and jazz studies.
This combination of a traditional curriculum with jazz pathways into contemporary and improvised music creates a truly distinctive learning experience—one that Music Around uniquely occupies. It is rare, not only in Orange County but in Southern California at large, to find both approaches offered under one roof and delivered at such a high level. Each of our teachers brings at least two decades of professional and teaching experience, ensuring students receive strong foundational training alongside the creativity, musicianship, and mentorship that define a world-class musical education.
Today, Music Around serves as a gateway for children and youth across Orange County, providing early exposure to a wide range of instruments, musical styles, and learning formats.
Whether a student begins with private lessons or group classes, our programs meet them where they are and support their growth with care, structure, and encouragement.
As students progress, those who show interest and readiness are naturally guided into the Academy’s more comprehensive curriculum—one that emphasizes improvisation, harmony, ensemble playing, and the living language of jazz.
